Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is pathologic anxiety that occurs after individuals experience or witness severe trauma that constitutes a threat to the life or physical integrity of them or another person. Traumatic events may include combat, automobile accidents, gun violence, mass shootings, rape, and fire or other natural disasters. Patients with PTSD persistently reexperience the inciting event in three ways: avoidance, numbness, and hyperarousal. Negative thoughts and mood or feelings are often present as well. PTSD accounts for considerable disability hours and morbidity, with estimates of global prevalence based on World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys ranging from 3.9% among the total sample and up to 5.6% among the trauma exposed, with half of all respondents with PTSD reporting persistent symptoms.
Many patients might need PTSD treatment; are you ready to take on these complex cases? Test yourself with a quick quiz.
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Cite this: Jeffrey S. Forrest. Fast Five Quiz: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder - Medscape - Oct 25, 2023.
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